pullet or cockerel?

[Cowgirl71]

I vote pullet.

 

[WildflowerJLH]

Quote:
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but why is this sad? Still new to chickens, so asking out of sheer ignorance.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but why is this sad? Still new to chickens, so asking out of sheer ignorance.

Wyandottes are supposed to have rose combs. However single comb birds are more fertile, and so hatcheries breed single combs into their birds to improve fertility. But single combs do not fit the Wyandotte breed standard....

 

[WildflowerJLH]

Quote:
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but why is this sad? Still new to chickens, so asking out of sheer ignorance.

Wyandottes are supposed to have rose combs. However single comb birds are more fertile, and so hatcheries breed single combs into their birds to improve fertility. But single combs do not fit the Wyandotte breed standard....

Thanks, Cowgirl! I am learning so much on this forum! I have some GLW from a hatchery, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of combs they have. I also have some SLW with an EE daddy. They all have rose combs, so far. Sadly, I am pretty sure 4 of the 5 are roos, so most of them will be finding new homes.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Yeah, she's the only wyandotte that we ordered and I was a little disappointed that she has a single comb. But it means she fits right in with most of my other birds (speckled sussex and leghorn plus a few EE). And since we really have no plan of showing or breeding and just want a few chickens for some eggs and I'm pretty sure any mutt chicken would fit the bill just as well I'm not too upset about it. You can usually tell right away whether they have a single comb or not. These are our first chickens and it was immediately obvious to me that she didn't have the rose comb that wyandottes are supposed to have. And while single combs are definitely more common on hatchery wyandottes, they do also occur from time to time in birds from breeders (even the good breeders).

Kittymomma, I agree that her legs do seem thick but they aren't any thicker than most of my other girls (only the leghorn has thinner legs). I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we get a crow or an egg. But I'm glad to hear that there's still a pretty fair chance that she might get to keep her name. If she does turn out to be a Gerald I guess we'll see how tolerant our neighbors are of roosters. Roos are legal in my town, but if neighbors make a noise complaint then we have to get rid of them.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I got 16 Columbian Wyandottes this spring. At about 8 weeks I could tell I had 2 roosters, one single comb that was ordered & 1 rosecomb that snuck in. At about that time I was concerned, because most started getting wattles, but as time went on the hens' wattles seemed to stay the same until 16-18 weeks, so I did only have 2 roosters. Never having Wyanddottes I was a little worried for awhile. I rehomed the single combed rooster last week aftyer 9 weeks on craigslist! I do have 3 single combed hens out of 13. I would say pullet.

 

[LaurenM23]

I vote pullet. The comb/waddle coloring isn't that red really. My BRs had large bright pink combs by 10 weeks. The feathering does look somewhat pointy, but my Australorp pullet had some questionable pointy bits, too. I think that the coloring is just really drawing attention to the shape more than might be expected in another bird. Nice looking bird!

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
Wyandottes are supposed to have rose combs. However single comb birds are more fertile, and so hatcheries breed single combs into their birds to improve fertility. But single combs do not fit the Wyandotte breed standard....

Thanks, Cowgirl! I am learning so much on this forum! I have some GLW from a hatchery, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of combs they have. I also have some SLW with an EE daddy. They all have rose combs, so far. Sadly, I am pretty sure 4 of the 5 are roos, so most of them will be finding new homes.

You can tell from hatching wether they have a rose comb or single comb. A single combed bird has a tiny row of spikes on it's head, and a rose comb bird has just a small flat piece of flesh.

 

[WildflowerJLH]

Quote:
Thanks, Cowgirl! I am learning so much on this forum! I have some GLW from a hatchery, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of combs they have. I also have some SLW with an EE daddy. They all have rose combs, so far. Sadly, I am pretty sure 4 of the 5 are roos, so most of them will be finding new homes.

You can tell from hatching wether they have a rose comb or single comb. A single combed bird has a tiny row of spikes on it's head, and a rose comb bird has just a small flat piece of flesh.

Thanks! I went out and looked at my 3 GLW from MPC. They all should have a rose comb! My partridge rocks and wellsummer look like they will have single combs, but I think those are breed appropriate!

 

[Chrizjen]

With all of the cockerels I have had recently I am going to say cockerel... but what do I know....